Justice committee  Good morning. Let me begin by saying that gangs and organized crime have been with us for at least 150 years—alienated and disfranchised young men finding a common bond of lawlessness, using crime as a lever for the creation of material wealth. Recall Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs

Justice committee  That's a tough question. On the one hand would be improved resources targeted at organized crime and improved prevention. I think the focus on penalties is misplaced. I don't think it's at all productive, ultimately, as we have very tough penalties in place. That's one side of

Justice committee  I'd say that these are both priorities. It's not a question of one being more important than the other.

Justice committee  Thank you. The point about prohibition is that until 1967 we only had 1,000 convictions per year for possession, distribution, and cultivation of all illegal drugs combined. So one has to ask, why was it so different? Why, by 1976, did we have 40,000 convictions for marijuana p

Justice committee  I'll be quick on that point. If you get Supreme Court decisions that document that certain groups are organized crime groups, that may settle the matter. On the other hand, as you know, you can get into a situation where groups change over time and what was once an organized crim

Justice committee  You certainly can't legalize. I think that's why it's fair to say it's a problem that requires a global solution. On the other hand, we can look around the world and see many countries that have decriminalized. There is a private member's bill. Keith Martin's bill is not very d

Justice committee  I think that's right. I don't think there's any way around that. I would make two points. One is that the Senate, with Pierre Claude Nolin and the report that came forward, made the point that you could have--and they did urge--very strong penalties around distribution to the U

Justice committee  They are attempting to limit the amount that people can buy, and they have been doing that for about 10 to 15 years, largely because of concerns expressed by France and other European countries. But as you look around you, you see such a patchwork quilt of different approaches. I

Justice committee  That's correct.

Justice committee  I think what's fundamental here is deciding whether drug use represents a criminal law problem of morality or a public health issue. If we think it's a public health issue...and here's where I come back to saying let's put all the legal and illegal drugs on the same page. We have

Justice committee  Well, again, I'm not opposed to tough penalties on crystal meth distribution, in terms of the toxic residue left behind. In fact, if you look at the courts, the courts have been making very clear distinctions between the people who are involved in the production of crystal meth a

Justice committee  We look at both specific and general deterrents. I think the reason we might focus on general deterrents from the point of the public or from the point of society more generally is that it's going to tell us going forward what to expect. What we're finding is that we can do this,

Justice committee  Yes. Sure.

Justice committee  I think it's right what Michelle said about the Netherlands, in that it was active promotion of the sex trade. On the other hand, I don't favour legalization, and I don't think most of the opponents favour legalization. I favour decriminalization. I think it's the more nuanced ap

Justice committee  It's correct in the realm of drugs; it's not correct with homicide. I'm in favour of the mandatory minimums that exist with respect to first degree and second degree murder.